Are you stressed or well?
The first step to celebrating the holidays in the Well State is to know when you you stressed and when you are well.
Stress is the physiologic state of trying to get somewhere else. Your brain is searching for threats and solutions, your body is ready to move to fight or flee those threats.
Well is the physiologic state of trusting what is inside as your guide. Your brain is paying attention with curiosity and kindness to what your body and heart are saying now.
Your body and heart speak through physical sensations and emotions. When you pay attention to them, knowing they are guides to thriving, you are well.
Well is not when everything around you is well, it is when you are aware of your internal resources to handle stressors.
The shorthand question to ask yourself several times a day is am I trying or trusting?
You cannot manage stress if you don't know you are stressed. But in the stress state, your brain is busy searching, analyzing, protecting, and planning. It does not have a large capacity for complicated solutions.
Today check in to get familiar with your signs you are in the stress state. Remember, these are not the stressors, they are the physical feelings you get when your cells shift to the stress state. As we highlighted yesterday, the stressors are not always in your control but the stress state is. Every chance you get today ask yourself "am I trying or trusting?"
The more familiar you are with how you feel when in the trying state the less barriers you have to being well now. Pain, tension, fatigue, overwhelm, sadness, anxiety, cravings, and anger, become guides, rather than barriers. They are your wake-up call to take action to shift your cells from the stress state to the well state.
More on how to do that tomorrow.
Share this with someone you know who would like to celebrate December in the Well State.
Stay tuned for more Celebrating Well tips all this month @ExercisingWell
Why wait until January to be well?
If trying to eat healthily, exercise regularly, and manage stress have you stressed this holiday season, the Start Well in December Special is for you! Check it out by clicking the button below.
